I loved the atmosphere at UC San Diego Extension International Programs, especially in my Medical English classes. All the students showed great willingness to learn and we asked the teachers numerous questions during class. Most of the questions were very interesting to me and sometimes so controversial that we seriously discussed them. I found these open discussions really precious because I had never experienced them in Japan.

One of my goals for the future is to work as a doctor in the U.S. The Medical English program has helped me come closer to achieving this goal. Through this course, I learned about America’s medical services in-person. For example, many health care providers were guest speakers in the program and we also visited several hospitals in San Diego on field trips.

Although unrelated to my studies, playing soccer with local UC San Diego students was one of the most enjoyable experiences during my time in San Diego. There are several turf fields around the UC San Diego campus and a lot of sports communities. It was a great change of pace to belong to one of them and make some American friends.

My goal is to become an English teacher in Japan. The TEFL Professional Certificate at UC San Diego Extension International Programs helps me create lesson plans focusing on speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Because many of the teaching methods covered are not common in my country, I am constantly learning new ways of teaching. I am majoring in Korean language at my university in Japan. When I return to Osaka, I plan to get a teaching license for teaching Korean as well as English. Many of the techniques I am learning in the TEFL Professional Certificate will help me teach not only English, but other languages as well.

I highly recommend the TEFL Professional Certificate to prospective teachers and ESL students. Students without teaching experience can become ready to be a teacher and students who already have teaching experience can modify and improve their teaching methods. ESL students who have not decided to be a teacher can still develop their English skills in many TEFL classes.

TEFL Professional Certificate classes are remarkably interesting. Plus, there are events for all Extension International Programs students, so I have been able to find many friends who are taking other programs.

My goal is to become an English teacher in Japan. The TEFL Professional Certificate at UC San Diego Extension International Programs helps me create lesson plans focusing on speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Because many of the teaching methods covered are not common in my country, I am constantly learning new ways of teaching. I am majoring in Korean language at my university in Japan. When I return to Osaka, I plan to get a teaching license for teaching Korean as well as English. Many of the techniques I am learning in the TEFL Professional Certificate will help me teach not only English, but other languages as well.

I highly recommend the TEFL Professional Certificate to prospective teachers and ESL students. Students without teaching experience can become ready to be a teacher and students who already have teaching experience can modify and improve their teaching methods. ESL students who have not decided to be a teacher can still develop their English skills in many TEFL classes.

TEFL Professional Certificate classes are remarkably interesting. Plus, there are events for all Extension International Programs students, so I have been able to find many friends who are taking other programs.

I would like to share with you a message from University of California President Janet Napolitano and the UC chancellors in response to President Trump’s recent executive order, which will affect international students with passports from Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Somalia:

President Trump’s executive order stops the admission of any refugees for 120 days; indefinitely suspends refugee admissions from Syria; lowers the number of refugees America accepts annually from 110,000 to 50,000; and bars legal travel from seven primarily Muslim countries for ninety days.

The United States is a diverse country, founded by immigrants and made stronger by its immigrants and international visitors. Many Americans strongly disagree with the travel ban.

President Trump’s executive order does not reflect who we are as a university. We at UC San Diego re-confirm our support for all our international students, staff, and faculty, as well as our international friends and colleagues. It would be impossible to replicate the cultural diversity and intellectual strength which our international students, academics, and international collaborators bring to our campus. We remain committed to students and scholars from all countries and all religions.

In her role, she’s often as much a learner as a teacher. “Through my students, I love keeping in touch with what’s going on in the world,” she said. “I always enjoy learning how their cultures are changing.”

Students describe their interactions with Elizabeth as life-changing. Rachel Nero, a former Intensive Legal English student who is now enrolled at the University of San Diego School of Law, exclaimed, “I would like to give very special thanks to Elizabeth Mariscal because she changed my life. She was always so passionate and dedicated that it was impossible not to be excited about the classes. It was my first contact with American Law and I loved it. Her classes sparked my interest in pursuing further education in Law and if it wasn’t for her I think I wouldn’t have considered applying to an LL.M. program. She is very special to me and I am thankful I had the opportunity to be her student!”

Colleagues at the English Language Institute agree that Elizabeth motivates her students. “Elizabeth Mariscal teaches her classes with enthusiasm and professionalism, while ensuring her students’ intellectual needs are met,” said Lisa Kovacs, the academic coordinator for the English Language Institute’s 10-week English language programs.

Roxanne Nuhaily, executive director of UC San Diego Extension International Programs added, “For many years, Elizabeth has contributed to the quality of UC San Diego’s English Language Institute and its success in meeting the needs of international students preparing for their academic and professional goals. Through her excellent teaching she continues to inspire students.”

Elizabeth is certainly one of the English Language Institute’s most versatile instructors. Her areas of expertise are many: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL); training younger ESL instructors; TOEFL preparation (she has consulted for a publisher on TOEFL products); medical writing seminars; editing medical manuscripts; and U.S. politics, government, and law.

“My primary goal is always to help my students learn English,” she said. “But they all have diverse goals.” These goals could be attending law school, teaching English, or simply being able to communicate in English around the world for personal reasons.

With expertise in course design, Elizabeth has developed the curricula for several ELI classes, including the Intensive Legal English program. This program is geared toward advanced students who would like to enroll in a law school in the United States, or who are already practicing attorneys in their home countries and would like to become familiar with American legal practices. Many Intensive Legal English students take advantage of conditional admission to LL.M. (Master in Laws) programs in San Diego, including the University of San Diego, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and California Western School of Law.

“When they first get here, I find many students know very little about the American legal system or they have misconceptions about it,” she said. “They’re always surprised to learn how diverse we are, and the wide range of people’s thoughts, views, subcultures, and the role of law in our society.”

Lisa Naylor, Instructor for the Medical English and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Professional Certificate

Lisa Naylor has taught at the UC San Diego Extension English Language Institute for over 20 years and she still feels a surge of pride about her role and gains inspiration from her students.

“I’ve always been fascinated with how people from different cultures communicate with each other, and how our languages are formed,” Lisa said. “Even now, I find that the longer I teach, the more I enjoy it.”

Since Lisa arrived at UC San Diego, she authored two books of idioms, Join the Club: Idioms for Academic and Social Success and Join the Club—Book 2. Lisa’s diverse areas of expertise span from pronunciation improvement and English pedagogy to multimedia curriculum development and medical terminology. Ms. Naylor holds a B.A. in French literature from Cal State Fullerton and a master’s in applied linguistics from San Diego State University.

“Lisa pours her heart and soul into her work,” exclaimed Roxanne Nuhaily, executive director of International Programs at UC San Diego Extension, “when she initiates a project, she works tirelessly and passionately to see it through to completion.”

Around ten years ago, Lisa founded the English Language Institute’s 4-week Medical English program for prospective and current medical practitioners, which she still teaches today. Lisa continuously expands her network in the healthcare field to meet excellent guest speakers and find interesting opportunities for her students.

Kim Gonzalez, the Teaching English as a Foreign Language program coordinator professed, “Lisa loves her students and is aware of what they need. She is very student-centered.”

Wise people say that the best way to do great work is to love the work you do. For Lisa Naylor, this is certainly true. “Teaching English is a great career for me. I’ve always loved different languages, so you could say that teaching English came very naturally to me.”

Proficient in Spanish, French, and Japanese, Lisa first fulfilled her adventurous spirit in her 20s, when she would treat herself to at least one out-of-country adventure a year. Even now, after 20 years teaching at the UC San Diego Extension English Language Institute, her interest in engaging with people from around the world is stronger than ever.

“It’s such a great thing to be in a classroom with people from different countries and everybody’s learning and getting along,” Lisa said. “It gives me hope for the world, it really does. Amazing things happen in our classrooms.”

Want to take a class with Lisa Naylor? Check out the Medical English and TEFL Professional Certificate programs at ip.extension.ucsd.edu or contact us for more information!

With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & International Commerce in hand, and years of work experience in different multinational Freight Forwarding companies in Brazil, Victor Navarro felt it was the right time to realize a lifelong dream: to further his education in the USA.

“The plan was clear and well defined. I was setting out for one year of intense academic immersion, followed by another one year of experiencing the American business environment. At that time, those were the two most critical elements that, in my mind, would contribute to pursue a successful career once I returned to São Paulo, my hometown in Brazil.”

Little did Victor know that his hard work would result in much greater opportunities coming his way during what became a nearly 7-year journey in the USA (and still counting).

“A course at UC San Diego Extension was the perfect way to begin my initial two-year plan,” he said. “The rich curriculum of the Business Management Program, the diverse atmosphere with students and professors from all over the world, combined with the possibility to extend my stay in the USA for a one-year work permit (OPT), made it a very appealing opportunity to start chasing my dream.”

“From the very first quarter of classes, the interactions with other cultures and people from all walks of life, as well as the guidance offered by the experienced UCSD staff, proved to be invaluable and allowed me to gain a broader perspective on life and business in general. Also, the campus is absolutely incredible. It allows for a truly American experience, like most of us internationals grow up watching only in the movies.”

During the second quarter of classes, Navarro completed an internship at one of the biggest banks in the world – UBS Wealth Management, in La Jolla. “That gave me a sense of American business practices, and more importantly, it helped me build confidence to create future job opportunities. It was during my internship at UBS that I felt there could be more to my experience abroad than I originally anticipated.”

Shortly after graduating from the UC San Diego Extension, Victor was offered an entry level position at a start-up company, AP Wireless. During his nearly five years of service at this firm, he used the skills he learned in Business Management classes to help grow the company into the leading cell site lease investment company in the world. “It was the perfect opportunity to use the OPT visa and learn more in depth about American business practices,” he said. “With hard work and diligence, my entry-level position quickly expanded in to a leadership role, and not too long after, into an offer for full sponsorship of a H1B visa.” From there, Victor held different leadership positions at the firm and helped it establish operations in multiple countries, including his native Brazil, Canada, among others.

Together with UC San Diego Extension Business Program coordinators, Navarro helped start and foster a successful partnership with AP Wireless Infrastructure Partners, which resulted in dozens of students from the Business programs being offered an internship and/or job opportunity at that firm, since 2010.

“One of the most gratifying opportunities as a former UC San Diego student was to help create job opportunities for other students from the program, and work alongside them in meaningful projects.”

“All in all, UC San Diego was a vital stepping stone for my career development and overall life in the USA. I would recommend the Business Management programs to anyone seeking a multi-cultural academic environment with highly intelligent peers.”

Nowadays Victor works as a Management Consultant for companies in various industries, and devotes part of his time consulting for other students and international professionals who desire a similar path towards a successful career in the USA.